V. Smil is a polymath who understands the problem of climate (visa-vi energy availability, security, sustainability) in such a depth, in full historical context, and on so many levels of analysis simultaneously (geopolitics, population dynamics, immigration, etc) to the point its humbling [for those who were able to read with notes his book on energy, global-trends-catastrophes, etc]. That is meant to motivate one (especially younger generations) to get real about solving the right problem at the right scale, with the right time-energy costs, rather than politically and emotionally driven, and ultimately wasteful pseudo issues (such as banning plastic straws, one out of myriad such examples). [And CO2 concentration is just a poster child for a cluster of issues of which an understanding the water cycle and enabling natural ecosystems regulating it properly is the core of this cluster of climate change bundle).<p>One take away point I would highlight for myself from the interview is the reinforcement: ".... this is a totally unprecedented problem, and people don’t realize how difficult it will be to deal with. " This is (speaking from Germany's point of view) the entrapped high-school and elementary school activism equipped with political slogans are hands down the worse possible way to go about thinking/acting about the said problem. Rather create math-physics-engineering centered curricula (or its elements) where physical/natural reality of being is the central philosophy so kids are less concerned with politics and become practical, competent agents of change which ever way it will turn out to be. Why a 10 year old kids has to know G. Thu. school activism while not having the slightest idea of physical reality of modern civilization, not to speak of actual useful things like units, scales, and degrees of the problem -- adapted to their level).